You may want to skip The Cheesecake Factory down the road once you check out the elegant environs at the expansive Georges Brasserie, where traditional and modern French plates are served amid white table cloths, red leather banquettes and black-and-white photos of French architectural landmarks. The owner Giorgios Bakatsias scored a James Beard nomination for Outstanding Restauranteur, so you know you’re in for a serious dining experience. Vintage Vogue posters hang in the lounge, where a large bar with a circular head seats diners before raw seafood and crustaceans on beds of ice as they review the solid wine list. Warm weather affords you the opportunity to eat patio-side in true bistro fashion, while a Sunday brunch buffet satisfies with chorizo-sprinkled shrimp and grits and a classic croque monsieur, which can and should be followed by as many sugared beignets as you can fit in your purse or pockets.

Georges Brasserie

You may want to skip The Cheesecake Factory down the road once you check out the elegant environs at the expansive Georges Brasserie, where traditional and modern French plates are served amid white table cloths, red leather banquettes and black-and-white photos of French architectural landmarks. The owner Giorgios Bakatsias scored a James Beard nomination for Outstanding Restauranteur, so you know you’re in for a serious dining experience. Vintage Vogue posters hang in the lounge, where a large bar with a circular head seats diners before raw seafood and crustaceans on beds of ice as they review the solid wine list. Warm weather affords you the opportunity to eat patio-side in true bistro fashion, while a Sunday brunch buffet satisfies with chorizo-sprinkled shrimp and grits and a classic croque monsieur, which can and should be followed by as many sugared beignets as you can fit in your purse or pockets.